Rabbi charged in death of wife

The Associated Press CHERRY HILL, N.J. -- A rabbi who had been the sole suspect in the 1994 bludgeoning death of his wife in their home was charged yesterday with orchestrating her murder. Rabbi Fred Neulander was arrested in his car this morning about three blocks from his home in Cherry Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia. He was charged with accomplice murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the slaying of his wife, Carol. ''We do not allege that he, of his own hand, committed that murder,'' said Camden County Prosecutor Lee Solomon. ''We allege that he conspired to have her killed and played the part of accomplice in that murder.'' Neulander, the former senior rabbi at Congregation M'Kor Shalom in Cherry Hill, maintains his innocence. No one else has been charged, and Solomon would not say whether additional arrests were expected. Solomon said the case will be presented to a grand jury by the end of the year. A decision has not been made about whether to seek the death penalty. If convicted, Neulander could face life in prison without chance of parole for 30 years. Neulander, founder of M'Kor Shalom, resigned from the Reform temple in February 1995 after reports of his affairs with two congregants. He admitted unspecified indiscretions and asked for forgiveness from the congregation. He was later suspended by a rabbinical panel.